Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning

My husband and I originally enrolled our daughter at Elmhust Academy when she was just 4 months old. We toured EA when I was pregnant and we were impressed with the facility, the teachers and the curriculum. Everything was great, until it wasn't. After about a year and a half, I was told by several other parents with kids at EA to check our billing because they had been over charged. I finally checked, and lo and behold, we were charged for an extra month which was $1854. Not a small amount of money. I reached out to EA and was not getting much response. After 5 emails and 2 voice mails I got a message that "our account had been credited." However, several days later there was still no credit on my credit card account. I decided I would just dispute the charge with my credit card company. After I filed my dispute I sent an email to the owner, Colleen Odegaard. I told her what I knew, which was that every parent I had talked to has had a billing issue. Every single one. I said that this points to a systemic problem and her refusal to address it was at best unethical and possibly illegal. Well, she didn't take too kindly to that. (Although, in reality, I think she's much more upset that I was talking to other parents and they were catching on to her "accounting errors.") At this point Mrs. Odegaard, requested a meeting with my husband and I. We went into the meeting expecting an apology and expecting to get on the same page with the billing issues. We wanted to be taken off of the automatic payment program. Instead, we were told that good parents would not continue to bring their child to a place they considered unethical. We tried to explain that neither of us thought the teachers were unethical and we had no problems with the teachers, other students or curriculum. But, Mrs. Odegaard said that they were one and the same and we could not separate the two. She also said that there are two rules about complaining at a school: 1. Don't complain or 2. You complain on your child's last day. She also implied that they would take out these issues on our daughter. She said "Whenever the staff look at your child..." and tapered off there, allowing us to draw our own conclusions, I guess. Ultimately, Mrs. Odegaard refused to let us leave the meeting without un-enrolling our daughter at EA. This was not what we wanted because it leaves us with no child care. She promised us refunds, but so far nothing has materalized on that front. To say we are disappointed is a huge understatement. We're furious that Mrs. Odegaard is able to get away with this because there are limited child care options in Elmhurst. This is especially true if your child is under 2. What she's doing is unfair on many levels. So, if you must bring your children to EA, know that you will likely experience many "accounting errors." Know that you must be very careful in handling them if you want your child to stay enrolled there. Also, be aware that while Colleen Odegaard holds herself out to be an administrator or director of EA, she is in fact the owner. You cannot avoid her if you are enrolled at EA and by being enrolled there you are putting money directly into her pocket.

DO NOT believe any of those one star reviews. You have to read between the lines to get the understanding of their disappointment. My child goes outside every day, all day. This education is based on nature, so of course they spend a good amount of time outside. My child comes home daily with dirt on her hands and sand in her shoes. She absolutely loves going to EA, and we absolutely love her going there. All of the teachers and staff are wonderful in every way expected and beyond. The education my child receives at EA amazes me on a daily basis. The artwork that comes home is immediately hung on our walls at home. Sigh.

My son has been in the pre-school room for about six months (since we moved to Elmhurst) and we love it! All the activities are engaging and educational so the kids learn a ton without realizing it. The teachers are super loving and really do try to "team" with the parents. Ignore the old reviews, this place has a great environment for kids and highly encourages family interactions with the school and also other families (facilitated via many hosted events throughout the year).

We had a rough experience at Elmhurst Academy. To start, during our initial interview, we were told by the administrators that the classes hold school outside as much as possible, even in raining/snowing conditions. This is exactly what we were looking for. Several months later, during a 30 degree day that was snowing, I asked how the kids liked being outside during the snow. The response was unnerving. I was told it was too cold outside today so they were only out there for a few minutes. So there seems to be a policy that is told to the parents and another internal policy that the teachers adhere to. The class room that my child was in was extremely small, especially with all the kids in there. I was ok with that at first since I was told the kids are outside a lot. Not ok with that if the kids have to be inside all day. Being lied to (or misled) by a school is a really hard thing to come to grips with. I really expect that I can fully trust a school to be honest. I very strongly suggest avoiding this school. Considering the high price of this school, trust me, you will not be getting what you pay for, no matter what you are told.